鴨脷洲 | |
|---|---|
 Aerial view of Ap Lei Chau, acrossAberdeen Harbour (2021) | |
 Location of Ap Lei Chau within Hong Kong | |
| Geography | |
| Location | South ofHong Kong Island |
| Coordinates | 22°14′30″N114°9′20″E / 22.24167°N 114.15556°E /22.24167; 114.15556 |
| Area | 1.3 km2 (0.50 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 196 m (643 ft) |
| Highest point | Mount Johnston |
| Administration | |
Hong Kong | |
| District | Southern District |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 79,727 (2021[1]) |
| Pop. density | 61,328/km2 (158839/sq mi) |
| Ap Lei Chau | |||||||||||||||||||
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 Ap Lei Chau viewed from Ap Lei Chau Bridge in 2016 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 鴨脷洲 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 鸭脷洲 | ||||||||||||||||||
| CantoneseYale | Aap Leih Jāu | ||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | Duck-Tongue Island | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Ap Lei San | |||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 鴨脷山 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 鸭脷山 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | Duck-Tongue Island Duck-Tongue Mountain | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Hong Kong Village | |||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 香港村 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | Fragrant HarbourVillage | ||||||||||||||||||
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Ap Lei Chau orAberdeen Island is anisland of Hong Kong, located offHong Kong Island next toAberdeen Harbour andAberdeen Channel. It has an area of 1.30 square kilometres (0.50 sq mi) after land reclamation.[2] Administratively it is part of theSouthern District. Ap Lei Chau is one of themost densely populated islands on earth, as well as the most densely populated island with a population of over 10,000.
In the 2000s, theGuinness World Records called it the world's most densely populated island on their website.[3]
Before theFirst Opium War, Ap Lei Chau was a small fishing village, with its harbour forming an excellent naturaltyphoon shelter. The island appears on aMing-era map[4] with its primary settlement labelled "Fragrant Harbour Village". Its early phonetic rendering of the Cantonese phrasehēung góng is the probable origin of the name forHong Kong,[5] although the town eventually took the name of its island.
Under the terms of the 1841Treaty of Nanking, it was ceded to theBritish together withHong Kong Island. It was sometimes known asTaplichan,[6]Taplishan,[7] &c. from an alternative name for the island.
The island had a largely uneventful history underBritish rule.
In 1968,Hongkong Electric opened apower station on Ap Lei Chau to provide electricity for the whole of Hong Kong Island. In 1980 and 1994,a bridge was constructed to connect the island to the Hong Kong Island, and this created momentum for rapid economic development.Public housing estates were built to accommodate people, including some who had suffered in a fire in theAberdeen typhoon shelter. In 1989, the generators of the power station were relocated toLamma Island, and the old power station has been demolished and re-developed into theSouth Horizons residential area, with the addition of someland reclaimed from the sea.
Ap Lei Chau was named after the shape of the island, which resembles the tongue of a duck.Ap meansduck,Lei meanstongue, andChau meansisland. The northern part has the highest population, while the southern part of the island is less densely populated.
The highest point on the island isYuk Kwai Shan (玉桂山; aka. Mount Johnston), with an altitude of 196 metres (643 ft).
It comprises four main residential areas —Lei Tung Estate, Ap Lei Chau Main Street,South Horizons andAp Lei Chau Estate, each of which comprises severalhighrise towers. There is also an industrial estate on the southern tip of the island.
The population of Ap Lei Chau is 79,727.[1] The sum of the population in constituency areas D02 to D07 and its area is 1.30 square kilometres (0.50 square miles), giving it a population density of 61,328 inhabitants per square kilometre (158,840/sq mi) and making itthe fourth most densely populated island in the world.[8]
| District Council Constituency Area | Population (2021) | |
|---|---|---|
| D02 | Ap Lei Chau Estate | 12,089 |
| D03 | Ap Lei Chau North | 11,897 |
| D04 | Lei Tung I | 12,307 |
| D05 | Lei Tung II | 14,043 |
| D06 | South Horizons East | 14,444 |
| D07 | South Horizons West | 14,947 |
| Total | 79,727 |
Ap Lei Chau also lends its name to the Ap Lei Chaugeologic formation, which covers most of Hong Kong Island.[9]
TheHung Shing Temple located on Hung Shing Street, off Main Street, Ap Lei Chau, is a notable site. Dating back to 1773, it is the oldest temple in the Aberdeen and Ap Lei Chau areas[10] and is adeclared monument.
The Shui Yuet Temple aka. Kwun Yum Temple is located at No. 181 Main Street, Ap Lei Chau. Dedicated toKwun Yum, it was built at the end of the 19th century[11] and is aGrade III historic building. The temple site is adjacent to the site of the former Aberdeen Police Station. Clearly chosen for itsfung shui, the superior dragons were seen as being protection from the 'threat of the tiger's jaw' from the police station. Although the police station has now been demolished, the dragons are still present and seen as enduring feng shui guards. Apart from Kwun Yum, the temple also housesKwan Tai,Tin Hau,Chai Kung andWong Tai Sin.[citation needed]
Ap Lei Chau and Hong Kong Island are connected by the four-laneAp Lei Chau Bridges. Opened in 1983, it originally only had two lanes, and was widened to four in 1994 with a duplicated bridge to the northwest of the original one.
Buses are the main form of transport for the residents in Ap Lei Chau. Bus routes depart from the six bus termini on the island to various places onHong Kong Island and inKowloon:
Green minibuses andtaxis are available.Red minibuses are prohibited from entering the island.
There is a regularsampan service running between Ap Lei Chau Main Street and Aberdeen. (Service hours: 6am-12am)
TheMTRSouth Island line opened on 28 December 2016 linksAdmiralty of Hong Kong Island to Ap Lei Chau by theAberdeen Channel Bridge, to the southeast of the Ap Lei Chau Bridges. There are two stations on the island:Lei Tung (for Lei Tung Estate and Ap Lei Chau Main Street) andSouth Horizons (for South Horizons, Ap Lei Chau Estate and Ap Lei Chau Industrial Estate).
Ap Lei Chau is in Primary One Admission (POA) School Net 18. Within the school net are multiple aided schools (operated independently but funded with government money) and Hong Kong Southern District Government Primary School (香港南區官立小學) in Ap Lei Chau. Aided primary schools in Ap Lei Chau in POA 18 include Aplichau Kaifong Primary School (鴨脷洲街坊學校) and St Peter's Catholic Primary School (聖伯多祿天主教小學), both inLei Tung Estate, as well as Precious Blood Primary School (South Horizons) (海怡寶血小學).[12]
Hong Kong Public Libraries operates the Ap Lei Chau Public Library in the Ap Lei Chau Municipal Services Building.[13]
Since Ap Lei Chau is currently the fourth most densely populated island in the world, public space is highly insufficient. In 2016, the Hong Kong Government reallocated the waterfront land of the former Hong Kong Driving School on Lee Nam Road for building luxury apartments, ignoring the suggestion of the locals and intensified the problem of insufficient land use.[citation needed] In February 2017, it was reported that the land, measuring 11,761 square metres (126,590 sq ft), had been sold by tender for a record price of HK$16.86 billion (US$2.17 billion) to a venture betweenKWG Property andLogan Property Holdings.[14]
Urban areas of Hong Kong, Kowloon and New Territories | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MHong Kong1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9a,10,11,12,14,15,16 |  | ||||||||||
| MOld KowloonKL,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9a,10,11,12,14,15,16 |
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| MNew KowloonNKL,2,3,4,5,6,7,9a,10,11,12,14,15,16 |
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| New Territories |
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Official place names are summarized from "Geoinfo Map" of Government ofHong Kong Special Administrative Region, "Hong Kong Guide" ofLands Department, "Hong Kong Guide Book" of Universal Publications Ltd. and "Areas and Districts" ofRating and Valuation Department. M：Narrow meaning of urban areas KL:Kowloon Peninsula at the south ofBoundary Street NKL: Former New Territories area at the north of Boundary Street and at the south ofLion Rock 1: Common definition (1) 2: Common definition (2) 3: Common definition (3) 4: Areas not adopting small house concessionary right ofindigenous inhabitants 5: Jurisdiction area of formerUrban Council 6: Definition of "Metropolitan Area" ofPlanning Department 7: Jurisdiction area ofUrban Renewal Authority 8: Unique operating area ofurban taxis 9: "Urban" (9a) and "Extended Urban" (9b) areas defined byHong Kong Housing Authority 10: Definition of Urbanrates 11: Hospital cluster belongs to Hong Kong or Kowloon 12: Police region belongs to Hong Kong or Kowloon 13: Regions having 999-year land lease 14:Geographical Constituency inHong Kong Legislative Council belongs to Hong Kong or Kowloon 15:Regional Education Office belongs to Hong Kong or Kowloon 16:Primary One Admission School Net belongs to Hong Kong or Kowloon | |||||||||||
